American rhetoric let Britain enforce without declaring

The John Bull cartoon described here can be read as Uncle Sam making a declaration while Britain restrains the other European powers. John Bull's posture is open to two readings: shielding the other powers or holding back a coalition that could challenge the Americas. In the accompanying diplomatic interpretation, American rhetoric spared Britain from openly making another anti-European declaration, while British refusal to break the policy denied continental powers the naval means to test it. A declaration from London might have encouraged rivals to unite against Britain; a declaration from Washington let Britain support a congenial outcome without publicly originating it. A coordinated Anglo-American bargain is raised as a possibility, without documentary evidence to establish it.